Pages

12.07.2009

...I'm sorry but it's true. For me, chocolate truffles beat out the real truffles 100-none. I know all about how truffles are a prized mushroom and one should relish the smell one of one when it shaved on pasta or risotto or used in sauces. I, personally, do not like them. I am far from a picky eater but the earthy smell of truffles gets to me. Granted that might be because truffle oil and and the restaurant I work at are synonymous. Does the smell of truffles make me think of work? Probably.

Try them! Tell me what you think! Black or white they have a particular taste.. to each his/her own!

To celebrate truffle season (white ones are in season right now.. as well as black ones) I thought I would make chocolate ones! Stand aside earthy smell... hello chocolate heaven!

My mother and I have made truffles for years around the holidays. They are relatively simple to make..but boy are they messy!

Ingredients:

12 oz of semi sweet chocolate

(I used Ghirardelli but any kind of good chocolate will do)

1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Heat cream in a sauce pan until very hot. Break up the chocolate and put into a bowl.

Pour hot cream over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Refrigerate until firm.

Once the chocolate isn't too soupy anymore (but not hard to the point where you can't take out a firm spoonful), take the mixture out of the fridge. I took mine out this morning before work..when it was pretty hard, hoping that it would be the perfect consistency when I got home from work. Wrong. It was too mushy. After I took a little scoop off the top for a "post long hard day at work" snack I took pastry bag and piped little balls of chocolate ganache onto a cold cookie sheet and put them in the freezer. I'm hoping I can then roll the balls in my hands to smooth them out.

(Note to self... must learn to use the pastry bag better. By the end of this operation my hands were covered in chocolate!!)

Tomorrow: Smoothing out the little chocolate truffles and coating them in a chocolate shell!

About Me

Come share my culinary adventures cooking through my favorite cookbooks, trying out recipes from my favorite blogs and revisiting family favorites. Most are successes, sometimes they are failures....but there is always fun! While there is nothing wrong with a little marshmallow fluff here and there or a mystery meat hot dog when you watch baseball I try and cook with mostly whole foods. Red meat, sugar, whole milk, bacon fat and butter don't scare me! It's all about moderation!